This document discusses facilitating learning through social web technologies. It outlines key roles for facilitators, including amplifying important content, curating information to synchronize a community, providing a sense of wayfinding and context, aggregating and filtering content for learners, modeling participation, maintaining a persistent online presence, and building relationships. Facilitation in online environments requires a focus on both social design to achieve learning goals and technical design to account for limitations of online technologies.

1. Facilitating Learning
through the
Social Web
Australian Institute of
Training and Development
9 November 2010
Janet Clarey
from: http://www.everydaygivingblog.com/enthusiasm/

2. agenda
• complexity of identity.
• loose definitions.
• what’s the same and what’s different?
• social design and technical design.
• new roles.

3. identity
a person’s conception and expression of their
individuality or group affiliations.
West Chester University, Identity Mind Map

4. what is facilitating?
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/facilitating (thesaurus);
Wordle.net

5. facilitation vs. training
facilitator = receives and draws on learners
existing knowledge to help them accomplish
their goals.
trainer = transmits knowledge and assesses
competency on a topic to accomplish
objectives.

6. online facilitation vs. online training
• online training facilitator = receives and draws
on peoples existing knowledge to help them
accomplish their goals through the use of
online technology.
• online trainer = transmits knowledge and
assesses competency on a topic, through the
use of online technology, to accomplish
objectives and goals.

7. “through the use of online technology”
means…
• no physical cues
• asynchronous
• anonymous/
disembodied
• text-based
• permanent
record
Nancy White, 2000 http://www.fullcirc.com/community/onvsofflinefac.htm
Image: NatalieDee http://www.nataliedee.com/nd-archives/ndarchive-may06.php

8. for a trainer or facilitator, the web can feel
like you’re working
blindfolded.

9. the individual

10. the group

11. the network

12. Individuals, groups, connections,
networks, communities, activities,
collaboration, conversations
Same Learning on the Different
social web
new delivery channels
increased speed/greater reach
how we publish
more serendipitous
permanent record
+ the “screen” (graphical user interface)

13. Tech + Social:
Technology has
fundamentally changed how
we can be together
Nancy White/Full Circle Associates and Matt Moore/Innotecture
Designing for online communities: thinking about social and technical design

14. the technical design
 “…we are not in the business of pushing
technology. We find solutions after we have
identified the problems.”
Quote: Nick Finck, UX (user experience) professional.

15. … meetings
… open-ended
… projects
conversation
… content … access to
publishing Community expertise
activities
oriented to …
… individual
… relationships
participation
… community
cultivation … context
Base material from:
Digital Habitats: Stewarding technology for
communities
© 2009 Wenger, White, and Smith

16. Purpose:
… meetings
… projects
… open-ended
conversation
… content … access to
publishing expertise
activities
oriented to …
… relationships
… individual
participation
… community
cultivation … context
© 2007 Wenger, White, and Smith

17. New to Basis for
web evaluation -
meetings … meetings motivated
… open-ended … projects
conversation
No image
skills
… content … access to
publishing Community expertise
activities
oriented to … Existing
relationships
Diverse
skills/
motivation … relationships
… individual
participation
… community … context
cultivation
© 2007 Wenger, White, and Smith

18. facilitator’s role
1. amplifying
2. curating
3. wayfinding and socially-driven sense-making
4. aggregating
5. filtering
6. modeling
7. persistent presence
8. relationship builder/encourag (mine)
George Siemens http://www.connectivism.ca/?p=220

19. know when to amplify.
 draw attention to important content.
yes, exactly.
great point.
this is
important.
George Siemens
http://www.connectivism.ca/?p=220
TweetMeme Icon

20. Curating.
 filtering signals. choosing things to
synchronize a community.
(know-what/know what-not)
George Siemens http://www.connectivism.ca/?p=220
Clay Shirky: http://curationchronicles.magnify.net/video/Clay-Shirky-
6#c=1RMHLF18HLLBQ6WK&t=Talk%20about%20Curation
Ted Kahn, New Model of Education, Seven Skills
Photo: NY Times

21. “know-who”/“wayfinding”
George Siemens http://www.connectivism.ca/?p=220
Ted Kahn, New Model of Education, Seven Skills
Photo: NY Times

22. be a human aggregator (“know-where”)
• …a human being identifies, aggregates, hand-picks,
edits and republishes a highly-focused, thematic
news... –Robin Good on “newsmastering”
George Siemens http://www.connectivism.ca/?p=220
Ted Kahn, New Model of Education, Seven Skills
Photo: NY Times

23. provide a filtered stream
(“what-if”)
George Siemens http://www.connectivism.ca/?p=220
Ted Kahn, New Model of Education, Seven Skills
Photo: NY Times

24. model
legitimate peripheral participation
Lave & Wenger, 1991
“In the workplace, learners can, when they need, steal
their knowledge from the social periphery made up of
other, more experienced workers and ongoing, socially
shared practice.” (Brown & Duguid, 1992)
George Siemens
http://www.connectivism.ca/?p=220 (model)
Ted Kahn, New Model of Education, Seven Skills
Jean Lave & Etienne Wenger, LPP
Picture courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/rollerboogie/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legitimate_peripheral
_participation

25. relationships.

26. social presence…being there
(“know-why…and care-why”)
George Siemens http://www.connectivism.ca/?p=220
Photo: http://pickmeyard.wordpress.com/
Ted Kahn, New Model of Education, Seven Skills

27. Tech + Social:
Technology has
fundamentally changed how
we can be together
Nancy White/Full Circle Associates and Matt Moore/Innotecture
Designing for online communities: thinking about social and technical design

28. summary
• importance of identity.
• keeping the “old” good stuff, adding new
good stuff.
• social design (purpose) + technical design.
• new roles

29. Let’s Connect
facebook.com/janet.clarey
twitter.com/jclarey
linkedin.com/in/jclarey
janetclarey.com
jclarey@gmail.com
Thank You
9 November 2010